1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a liquid enriched with a gas, and in particular, to water enriched with oxygen. The invention further relates to a method of enriching a liquid with a gas, and in particular, enriching water with oxygen. The invention further relates to an apparatus for enriching a liquid with a gas, and in particular, for enriching water with oxygen.
2. Background Information
It is known that all of the vital functions contributing to the human metabolism require oxygen, and that it is necessary for the human organism to obtain sufficient oxygen through breathing. However, methods have been developed for purposefully supplying the human organism with oxygen in addition to that obtained through breathing. Such additional oxygen can be supplied for generally improving normal function and well-being, on the one hand, but can also be used particularly as a treatment, or as a supplement to a treatment, for sick individuals, for example. To accomplish this, it is known to use enriched water, that is, water enriched with free oxygen.
In one known method of enriching water with oxygen, oxygen is supplied to water via a perlite disposed on the bottom of an open container that is filled with water. Perlite is a volcanic mineral which is rather porous. The oxygen is forced through the perlite at low pressure, bubbles through the water in the container, and subsequently escapes into the environment, i.e., the atmosphere, through the surface of the water. As the oxygen passes through the water, the water is enriched with oxygen, thus establishing a concentration value of "free" oxygen (only physically-bonded oxygen) in the water of about 35 mg/l.
This known method has some drawbacks, however. For example, the concentration of free oxygen in the water that is obtained with this known method, about 35 mg/l, is relatively low. Furthermore, after bubbling through the liquid, a portion of the supplied oxygen escapes into the environment (atmosphere) and cannot be reused, thereby resulting in a high gas consumption for the amount of enriched water obtained.
While there may be beneficial effects to a human organism of water enriched at the known relatively low concentrations, better results could be obtained if higher levels of enrichment could be achieved. Further, if less oxygen were lost to the atmosphere, the costs of producing oxygen enriched water could be reduced.
Besides use for human consumption for general well being and in therapeutic methods as referred to above, oxygen enriched water has other known uses, such as in water purification processes, cleaning processes, and the like. Further, it may be desirable to enrich other liquids with other gases for other uses, at higher concentrations than currently achievable, and with less wasted gas.
Therefore, a need existed for water more highly enriched with oxygen, a method of achieving the higher enrichment, and an apparatus for achieving the higher enrichment. A need has further existed for other liquid/gas-enriched products, as well as a method and apparatus for producing them.